New anti-drone cages installed around Abu Dhabi fuel tanks: Here’s what to know

The United Arab Emirates has reportedly completed the installation of large grid-like drone cages around fuel tanks in Abu Dhabi-a significant move to strengthen protection for critical energy infrastructure against possible drone attacks.

The construction was started around May after earlier drone and missile strikes on sites like the port of Fujairah that damaged infrastructure.

This will not help in tackling missile attacks, but it may provide a thin layer of defense against drone attacks. The primary idea behind these kinds of initiatives is to mitigate the significant damage caused by incoming munitions and build structures to protect a position.

The caging depictions are not just designed to protect against Iranian ballistic missiles and even cruise missiles remain a key challenge.

They can also help safeguard against short-range drone attacks which has been a major issue in the UAE during this geopolitical conflict. This is not the first-time metal caging and nets have been used to protect vital energy assets.

Russia has been employing these measures at its oil storage facilities in order to shield them from Ukrainian drone attacks for several years now. Nonetheless, it's only a matter of time before specialized drones are developed where the exclusive function is to break through anti-drone cages to clear paths for standard explosive drones.